Apparatus for paying out a cable from a cable drum



Feb. 7, 1967 J. THALER 3,302,838

APPARATUS FOR PAYING OUT A CABLE FROM A CABLE DRUM Filed March 4, 1965Fly. 2

I'M 06 7/701 /e/ United States Patent Ofitice 3,3tl2,838 Patented Feb.7, 1967 9 Claims. or. 225-472 This invention relates to apparatus forhandling cables such as subaerranean electrical power cables, andparticularly to a movable apparatus for paying out such a cable from acable drum.

It is common practice manually to pay out heavy electrical cables fromcable drums during installation of the cable in a trench or the like.heavy conducting core or a heavy external armature, its great weight canbe handled safely only by a relatively large number of workers. Certaintypes of cables which are provided with plastic insulation must not bestressed in tension, and therefore must be handled by a work force evengreater than would normally be needed for reasons of weight alone.

The object of the invention is the provision of portable or movableapparatus capable of handling even heavy cables carefully and suitablefor control by a single operator.

An essential feature of the invention is a conveyor equipped with aplurality of gripping means alignedl-y spaced in the direction ofconveyor movement for gripping an engaged cable transversely of thedirection of cable movement in response to the weight of the cable. Theconveyor is mounted on a vehicle which may also carry the drum fromwhich the cable is being payed out.

Other features and many of the attendant advantages of the inventionwill be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood byreference to the following detailed description of a preferredembodiment when considered in connection with the accompanying drawingin which:

FIG, 1 shows an apparatus of the invention for paying out a cable from acable drum, the view being in side elevation; and

FIG. 2 shows the apparatus of FIG. 1 in plan view.

The elongated supporting frame 1 of the vehicle illustrated carries anendless conveyor whose four shafts 2, 3, 4, have axes of rotationtransverse of the direction of frame elongation. In the illustratednormal position of the frame 1, the Shafts 2 and 5 are longitudinallyspaced on a common level. The shafts 3, 4 are longitudinally interposedbetween the shafts 2, 5 on a slightly higher level. Each shaft 2, 3, 4,5 carries two axially spaced sprockets 6, 7 longitudinally aligned withthe corresponding sprockets on the other shafts. Two endless chains 8, 9are respectively trained over the sets of sprocket 6 and 7 in such amanner that the upper strand of each chain has a gently ascendingportion 16 between the sprockets on the shafts 5 and 4,, a horizontalportion between the shafts 4 and 3, and a gently descending portion 11between the sprockets on the shafts 3 and 2.. Uniformly spaced crossbars 12 connectthe two chains 3, 9 and carry respective saddles 13 eachof which consists of two bars arranged to define therebetween a V-shapednotch aligned with the notches of the other saddles 13 in the directionof conveyor movement.

Thus, it will be seen that the conveyor of the inven- When the cable hasa tion includes the pair of coextensive, aligned endless for movementabout a normally horizontal axis.

runs. The plurality of pairs of sprocket wheels 6, 7 are operativelyconnected with the sprocket chains to support and advance the latter,these sprocket wheels 6 and 7 being situated with the wheels 6 of eachpair situated in the same plane as the chain 8 and with the wheels 7 ofeach pair situated in the same plane as the chain 9, the shafts whichextend between and carry the pairs of wheels, namely the shafts 2-5,extending normally with respect to the parallel planes in which the pairof endless conveyor chains 8 and 9 are situated. It will furthermore benoted that the intermediate pairs of sprocket wheels, namely thosecarried by the shafts 3 and 4, engage only the upper runs of the pair ofchain to elevate these upper runs at their intermediate portions whichare situated between the end pairs of sprocket wheels to an elevationsomewhat higher than the elevation of the chains at the pairs of endsprocket wheels. The conveyor of the invention further includes thetransverse bars 12 which are parallel to each other and extendperpendicularly with respect to the planes in which the chains arelocated in the space between these planes with each bar 12 extendingbetween and connected with a pair of chains. It is to be noted thatthese bars 12'are relatively widely spaced from each other uniformlyalong the chains with the distances between. the successive bars 12being substantially greater along the lengths of the hains than'the'dimensions of the bars 12 along the lengths of the chains. Thesubstantially V-shaped gripping members 13 are respectively fixed to thetransverse bars 12 midway between the ends thereof with the apexes ofthe gripping members directly engaging the bars 12, respectively, thesegripping members 13 also being relatively widely spaced from each otherand having in the direction of the length of the chains a dimensionsubstantially smaller than the distance between successive grippingmembers 13, and these gripping member 13 extend upwardly from the bars12 which at any given instant are situated along the upper runs of thechains so as to provide upwardly directed outer open ends for receivingthe cable which is to be payed out. As is particularly apparent fromFIG. 2, the legs of each V-shaped gripping member 13 define betweenthemselves an acute angle so that a strong gripping force is providedfor the cable which becomes wedged between the legs of the grippingmembers 1?).- The upper runs of the chains have inlet ends situated'tothe right in FIG. 1 for initially receiving the cable which is to hetransported and discharge ends, situated at the left in FIG, 1, fromwhich the cable is discharged from the conveyor, the cable of coursetravelling along the upper runs of the conveyor from the inlet to thedischarge ends thereof, and it is to be noted that the rocker assembly27-29 forms a means for assuring retaining of the cable by the conveyoronly in the region of the entrance or inlet end of the upper runsthereof, the cable otherwise being supported exclusively by the grippingelements without being pressed into the latter by any additionalstructure.

The conveyor is driven by a sprocket 14 on the shaft 2 which isconnected with the output shaft of an internal combustion engine 16 by adrive chain 15.

The frame 1 further carries a cable drum 17 whose tubular hub isrotatably mounted on a transverse shaft 18 journaled in the frame 1. Theaforementioned drive chain 15 engages a sprocket 20 on the shaft 18 andis also guided over a tensioning device 21, conventional in itself. Acoupling pin 19 may be passed through aligned radial bores (not shown)in the hub of the drum 17 and in the shaft 18 to couple the drum to theshaft.

One of the longitudinal top members 22 of the frame 1 carries a column23 in which a pivot pin 24 is journaled One end of an arm 25 is attachedto the pin 24, and the other end of the arm 25 is fixedly fastened toone end of a transverse shaft 26 which pivotally carries a rocker 29.Two wheels 27, 28 are mounted on the two arms of the rocker 29 forrotation in the common central plane of the saddles 13, and for jointpivoting movement about the axis of the shaft 26.

An angle 30 fixedly attached to the free end of the shaft 26 has onedownwardly directed leg which carries several studs 34. A tension spring31 is interposed between a selected stud 34 and the frame 1 for pullingthe wheels 27, 28 into the path of the conveyor. An operating arm 32connected to the other, approximately horizontal arm of the angle 30permits the wheels to be lifted from their illustrated operativeposition against the restraint of the spring 31.

Rectracable caster wheels 35, 36 are secured in the illustrated positionshown by spring-biased locking pins 37, but may be pivoted upward whenthe pins 37 are withdrawn so that the frame 1 rests directly on theground. Each pin 37 passes through aligned radial openings in astationary bearing on the frame 1 and in a short shaft received in thebearing and attached to the caster in a manner not further illustratedwhen the caster wheels support the load of the frame 1, and arewithdrawn from the aligned openings when it is desired to swing thecasters upward from their operative position. When the caster wheels areto be lowered, the frame 1 is lifted. A bar 38 at the front end andhandle bars 39, 40 at the rear end of the frame 1 are provided for thispurpose. The vehicle may also be moved on its caster wheels 35, 36 inthe manner of a pushcart by one or more operators holding the handlebars39, 40.

The aupparatus illustrated may be employed for paying out a cable 33from a non-illustrated cable drum, not supported on the frame 1, in themanner shown in FIG. 1, and it may also be used for paying out a cable,not itself visible in FIG. 1, from the drum 17. A lead rope 42 attachedto the free end of the cable is shown in the drawing. The cables andrope have been omitted from the showing of FIG. 2 for the sake ofclarity.

When it is desired to pay out the cable from the drum 17, the pin 19 isengaged in the hub of the drum 17 and in the shaft 18, and the engine 16is started. The resulting clockwise rotation of the drum 17 causes therope 42 to be payed out. The rope is laid by hand into the saddles 13 onthe lower conveyor run, travels in an are about the shaft 5, is furtherpressed by the wheels 27, 28 into the notches of the saddles 13 in theupper conveyor run and is ultimately pulled over a guide roller 41 aheadof the shaft 2 and away from the conveyor. Forward traction manuallyapplied to the end of the rope 52 causes the attached cable to follow inthe same path.

If a cable is to be payed out over a relatively long distance, severaldevices of the type sown in FIG, 1 are spaced apart, and the cable 33payed out from the drum of the rearmost apparatus is sequentiallytrained over the saddles on the upper runs of the several conveyors asshown in FIG. 1.

Manual labor in operating the apparatus of the invention is limited tothe handling of the relatively light rope 42. The cable is gripped bythe conveyor saddles with a horizontal force transverse to the directionof conveyor movement in response to the vertical forces which drive thecable inward of the saddle notches and are provided by the weight of thecable and the wheels 27, '28. The conveyor provides the necessary movingforce for paying out the cable and is even capable of pushing arelatively stifI cable over an appreciable distance beyond the guideroller 41. When the cable is firmly engaged with the saddles 13, thecoupling pin 19 may be withdrawn.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosurerelates to only a preferred embodiment of the invention, and that it isintended to cover all changes and modifications of the example of theinvention herein chosen for the purpose of the disclosure which do notconstitute departure from the spirit and scope of the invention as setforth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A cable-advancing conveyor consisting of a pair of coextensive,aligned endless sprocket chains respectively situated in spaced,parallel vertical planes with each of said chains having substantiallyhorizontal upper and lower runs, a plurality of pairs of sprocket wheelssituated with one wheel of each pair in one of said planes and the otherwheel of each pair in the other of said planes, said sprocket wheelsbeing operatively connected with said chains for supporting andadvancing the latter, a plurality of transverse bars situated in thespace be tween said planes, extending perpendicularly with respectthereto, with each of said bars fixed to the pair of chains, said barsbeing parallel to each other and spaced relatively widely from eachother along said chains, the distances between said bars along thelengths of said chains being substantially greater than the dimensionsof said bars along the lengths of said chains, and a plurality ofV-shaped cable-gripping members respectively having apexes fixed to saidbars substantially midway between the ends thereof, said grippingmembers also being relatively widely spaced from each other and definingbetween themselves along the lengths of said chains spaces substantiallygreater than the dimensions of said gripping members along said chains,and said gripping members extending upwardly from those bars which atany given instant are situated along the upper runs of said chains, sothat said gripping members have along the upper horizontal runs of saidchains outwardly directed open ends for receiving a cable, whereby acable situated in the gripping members which at any instant are situatedalong the upper runs of said chains will be advanced by the conveyor,said upper runs having inlet ends for receiving a cable and dischargeends from which the cable is discharged, so that a cable conveyed by theconveyor will be advanced from the inlet to the discharge ends of thechains.

2. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said pairs of sprocket wheelsinclude two pairs of end sprocket wheels respectively situated at theinlet and discharge ends of said chains and an intermediate pair ofsprocket wheels situated between said end pairs of sprocket wheels andengaging only the upper runs of said chains, said intermediate pair ofsprocket wheels elevating the chains at the portions thereof engaged bysaid intermediate pair of sprocket wheels to an elevation somewhathigher than the elevation of the chains at the inlet and discharge endsthereof, so that the chains are at least slightly inclined upwardly fromthe inlet toward the discharge ends of the upper runs thereof anddownwardly inclined as they approach the discharge ends thereof.

3. The combination of claim 2 and wherein an additional intermediatepair of sprocket Wheels are situated between the end pairs spaced fromthe first-mentioned intermediate pair to provide with the latterintermediate substantially horizontally extending sections of said upperruns of said chains situated at said higher elevation, said additionalpair of sprocket wheels also engaging only the upper runs of saidchains.

4. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said V-shaped gripping memberseach include a pair of legs which define an acute angle betweenthemselves.

5. The combination of claim 1 and wherein a means is situated only inthe region of the inlet ends of said chains at said upper runs thereoffor pressing a cable downwardly into the gripping members at saidregion.

6. The combination of claim 1 and wherein a vehicle frame forms asupport means which supports said pairs of sprocket wheels for rotarymovement, so that theentire conveyor may be transported from onelocation to another by way of said vehicle frame.

7. The combination of claim 1 and wherein a cable supply drum issituated in the region of said discharge ends of said chains at anelevation lower than said chains for directing a cable first along thelower runs of said chains and then around the inlet ends thereof to theupper runs.

8. The combination of claim 7 and wherein a drive means is operativelyconnected with at least one of said pairs of sprocket wheels forrotating the latter to drive said chains, said drive means also beingoperatively connected with said drum for driving the latter.

9. A cable handling apparatus comprising, in combination: a vehicle; anendless conveyor on said vehicle having a substantially horizontal run;and a plurality of gripping means alignedly spaced on said conveyor inthe direction of conveyor movement for gripping an engaged cablehorizontally and transversely of said direction in said run, saidvehicle having a frame, and said conveyor including chain means mountedon said frame for movement in a closed path, and said gripping meanseach including a saddle defining a notch, said notch flaring in anupward direction in said run, the notches of said saddles being alignedin the direction of conveyor movement for simultaneously receiving acable therein, and pressure means for urging a received cable inward ofsaid notches,

on said frame for pivoting movement about a substantially horizontalaxis transverse of the direction of conveyor movement, two wheel meansmounted on said rocker member for simultaneous movement of said twowheel means in opposite directions when said rocker member pivots aboutsaid axis thereof, and yieldably resilient means biasing said axis ofthe rocker member toward said conveyor for simultaneous engagement ofsaid two wheel means with a cable received in said notches.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 737,871 9/1903Roe 254190 2,647,699 8/1953 Bush 254175.7 X 2,659,540 11/1953 Sketchley254 X 2,679,924 6/ 1954 Powell 226172 3,104,791 9/1963 Anrig 226-1723,106,325 10/1963 Kitching 226-171 SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Primary Examiner.

1. A CABLE-ADVANCING CONVEYOR CONSISTING OF A PAIR OF COEXTENSIVE,ALIGNED ENDLESS SPROCKET CHAINS RESPECTIVELY SITUATED IN SPACED,PARALLEL VERTICAL PLANES WITH EACH OF SAID CHAINS HAVING SUBSTANTIALLYHORIZONTAL UPPER AND LOWER RUNS, A PLURALITY OF PAIRS OF SPROCKET WHEELSSITUATED WITH ONE WHEEL OF EACH PAIR IN ONE OF SAID PLANES AND THE OTHERWHEEL OF EACH PAIR IN THE OTHER OF SAID PLANES, SAID SPROCKET WHEELSBEING OPERATIVELY CONNECTED WITH SAID CHAINS FOR SUPPORTING SAIDADVANCING THE LATTER, A PLURALITY OF TRANSVERSE BARS SITUATED IN THESPACE BETWEEN SAID PLANES, EXTENDING PERPENDICULARLY WITH RESPECTTHERETO, WITH EACH OF SAID BARS FIXED TO THE PAIR OF CHAINS, SAID BARSBEING PARALLEL TO EACH OTHER AND SPACED RELATIVELY WIDELY FROM EACHOTHER ALONG SAID CHAINS, THE DISTANCES BETWEEN SAID BARS ALONG THELENGTHS OF SAID CHAINS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY GREATER THAN THE DIMENSIONSOF SAID BARS ALONG THE LENGTHS OF SAID CHAINS, AND A PLURALITY OFV-SHAPED CABLE-GRIPPING MEMBERS RESPECTIVELY HAVING APEXES FIXED TO SAIDBARS SUBSTANTIALLY MIDWAY BETWEEN THE ENDS THEREOF, SAID GRIPPINGMEMBERS ALSO BEING RELATIVELY WIDELY SPACED FROM EACH OTHER AND DEFININGBETWEEN THEMSELVES ALONG THE LENGTHS OF SAID CHAINS SPACES SUBSTANTIALLYGREATER THAN THE DIMENSIONS OF SAID GRIPPING MEMBERS ALONG SAID CHAINS,AND SAID GRIPPING MEMBERS EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM THOSE BARS WHICH ATANY GIVEN INSTANT ARE SITUATED ALONG THE UPPER RUNS OF SAID CHAINS, SOTHAT SAID GRIPPING MEMBERS HAVE ALONG THE UPPER HORIZONTAL RUNS OF SAIDCHAINS OUTWARDLY DIRECTED OPEN ENDS FOR RECEIVING A CABLE, WHEREBY ACABLE SITUATED IN THE GRIPPING MEMBERS WHICH AT ANY INSTANT ARE SITUATEDALONG THE UPPER RUNS OF SAID CHAINS WILL BE ADVANCED BY THE CONVEYOR,SAID UPPER RUNS HAVING INLET ENDS FOR RECEIVING A CABLE AND DISCHARGEENDS FROM WHICH THE CABLE IS DISCHARGED, SO THAT A CABLE CONVEYED BY THECONVEYOR WILL BE ADVANCED FROM THE INLET TO THE DISCHARGE ENDS OF THECHAINS.